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Camp week has finally arrived. BYU players report for duty this Friday, with the first practice to follow on Saturday afternoon.
KSL.com's preseason previews continue this week with my assignment being to determine BYU's three most pressing training camp objectives.
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With most of the best players from the 2012 team returning in 2013, the Cougars are strong in many important areas; the receiver, tight end and running back positions are deep with proven talent, while the QB position is promising, the lack of starting experience notwithstanding.
Defensively, the linebacking and secondary corps are veteran at the top, led by a coaching staff that has been producing nationally notable numbers for years.
If the Cougars can get the following three areas figured out over the next four weeks, their season-opener at Virginia should be a successful one.
#campneedspoll
OFFENSIVE LINE ==============
BYU returns a pair of projected starters in left tackle Ryker Mathews and left guard Solomone Kafu, but even with them and sometime starters Manaaki Vaitai and Brock Stringham back, very little is set in stone up front.
Not counting returned missionaries and 2012 redshirts, eight new offensive linemen are joining the mix in August—half of them coming from the junior college ranks. Such a quick-fix influx signals the acute need identified by Bronco Mendenhall and his offensive coordinator Robert Anae at the start of their rebuilding process on the point-scoring side of the ball.
Offensive line play must improve in 2013, and with as many new players as will be going through their paces over the next four weeks, improvement must be evidenced quickly.
The juco transfers will be expected to present a high level of game readiness, but such newcomers frequently have a difficult time adjusting to the combination of heat, altitude and pace that will face them in August. When those players are carrying 300-plus pounds on their frames, the acclimation process can be that much harsher.
A former junior college transfer as a BYU player, and most recently a successful juco head coach, new offensive line coach Garett Tujague would appear to be tailor-made to help his charges through this key transition. It is often said that offensive linemen get the least attention on a football team; that will not be the case during Camp Cougar—all eyes will be on the front five.
PLAY-CALLING COHESION =====================
For Anae's "Go Fast, Go Hard" mantra to pay requisite on-field dividends, BYU's offensive players are going to need more than strong hearts and stamina. They and the coaches will need to be in a high-tempo lock-step, correctly implementing new play-signal protocol and language with rapid-fire substitutions.
Premiums will be placed on the players' concentration, comprehension and retention, not to mention the real-time tactical decisions Anae will be making every 15 seconds or so. He and his staff will be running what for them is a new system, with no previous game experience upon which to call.
The players will be expected to generate upwards of 80-90 snaps per game--a tall order, especially when considering that the first test of the new system will come in enemy territory, in the middle of a hot, humid afternoon on the east coast.
To the extent that Anae can replicate game conditions in camp, I would expect him to do so, but the fact remains that first-games under new coordinators can often be crapshoots.
Anae's debut as BYU's OC in 2005 saw the Cougars run 76 plays, attempt 60 passes...and score only three points.
Two seasons later, BYU opened its campaign by welcoming an Arizona team with a new, up-tempo offensive coordinator in Sonny Dykes, and the Cougars held the Wildcats to seven points.
New coordinator Brandon Doman led BYU to only seven points in his 2010 debut at Ole Miss (a touchdown was scored on defense), while the Rebels' brand-new OC saw his team score only 13, with the only six points scored on offense.
Last season, Washington State's first season-opener under offensive guru Mike Leach found Wazzu netting all of six points in Provo.
The aforementioned occasions may be considered only anecdotal evidence, but in the Bronco Mendenhall era, season-openers under a new offensive play-caller have been duds--both for BYU and its opponents. The Cougars hope to alter that trend in 2013.
MISSING PIECES ON DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS =======================================
BYU will open camp looking for two new starters on the defensive line, two new starters at inside linebacker, a new starting corner, a new starting punter and either better play from its incumbent placekicker or a new kicker altogether.
Whether Eathyn Manumaleuna plays outside or inside on the line, BYU can be excited about Bronson Kaufusi's expected placement at one of the end positions. The other open spot will be occupied by either a nose tackle good enough to move Manu to end, or likely Remington Peck at end if Manu is at nose.
Development of depth will be a primary objective, as more defensive snaps mean more rotations for coach Steve Kaufusi to handle.
At backer, Uani Unga will step in at Mike, with Tyler Beck or Manoa Pikula taking over at Buck; BYU's in good hands at both spots.
At boundary corner is where competition should be intense, as juco newcomers Sam Lee and Robertson Daniel join Mike Hague and Skye PoVey as candidates to fill the spot vacated by Preston Hadley and weakened by the spring injury to Trent Trammell.
Depth is a potential red flag in the secondary, but 2012 redshirts Drew Reilly and Michael Wadsworth give the Cougars some future safety options.
On special teams, Scott Arellano should fill the punting shoe of Riley Stephenson, while veteran placekicker Justin Sorensen will be pressed by junior college newcomer Trevor Samson and walk-on Tyler Jackson.
Sorensen's injury-plagued career could use a shot-in-the-arm season, as the Cougars kicking woes have contributed to multiple lost games in the last couple of seasons.
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Photo: Courtesy BYU Photo
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